Quick Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Rating: 6/10
Date of Release: September 27, 2011
Summary: Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong 

MINOR SPOILER ALERT

This was very, very difficult to rate. I had a serious love-hate relationship going on for this book. I mean, read the summary. Sounds flippin' awesome. And some parts were.

Many people complained that this was confusing, or even nonsensical. I would disagree. For the careful reader (especially in the last fifty pages or so), things more or less make sense. I had two big drawbacks with this novel. Firstly, the romance.

Is there a YA book, anywhere, that doesn't include some cheesy romance with a smoking-hot jock? Noah, Mara's boyfriend, is smoking hot. Perfectly handsome. Even has an English accent. Rich, of course. Pretty much everything I hate in a  love interest. Just ugh. That whole subplot could have been dropped, make the book a lot shorter and less cliche.

The second gripe I have is the jerkiness of the whole story. Things happen too quickly, and then not quickly enough. One minute we have a kidnapping, crocodile murder, and escape from some sort of freak serial killer, and the next Mara is hunched in her room, thinking, and the next she and Noah are hanging out in his mansion. Too many strings were being pulled at once, it was too jerky and fast, not enough time to catch your breath, or else the romance scenes dragged on.

The biggest pro to this book was the story, and more specifically, the mind-bending, never-sure-what's-going-on-until-the-last-page story. I LOVED that aspect of this story, the cliffhangers, the surprises, discovering who Mara is and what she can do. I don't want to give away more than I have to, but it was a fantastic, original storyline that kept the reader on their toes.

So, I decided what I liked about this book outweighed what I didn't like, making it a little over 50/50. I'm still not positive on this rating. Be assured though, if you want a mysterious thriller, read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. 

Review: Revived

Title: Revived
Author: Cat Patrick
Rating: 4
Date of Release: May 8th, 2012
Summary: As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a  school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the ead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life.
When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she is at the center of something larger--and much more sinister--than she ever imagined.

[Warning: this whole article contains spoilers. While I do not recommend it, if you want to read it I suggest you don't read the review]

You would think, looking at this awesome cover, that Cat Patrick had brought us a very unique premise in sci-fi fiction. I grabbed it eagerly, ignoring the 'meh' reviews on Goodreads. It can't be TOO bad, right?

Above: Daisy

Where do I begin? Well, to start off, Daisy. So you've been given the chance to come back from the dead five times. What do you do? Complain about having to move each time, of course. Have a 'holier than thou' attitude to the agents who live in your house. Darling, in case you haven't noticed, Mason and Cassie have to move too, every time you forget your EpiPen and get stung by those meany bees. Daisy doesn't seem to care that other people in her life are affected by her move. 

As for the other characters, I liked some of them and hated some of them. Let's start off with Matt. If I have to read one more 'Ohmigosh he is so hottttt I'm going to die he's so cutttee and perffeect and I just love him and he loves me and we all eat rainbows and butterflies, yay!' story, this will be me:

Matt is perfect. He's rich. He lives with his pushover parents in a mansion and drives and awesome car. Even after his sister, dies, he's still perfect. Still has a car, and pushover parents, and can fly and see Daisy in her new home. And, while Audrey (Matt's little sister, dying of cancer) is sick, Daisy thinks telling Matt about how she has come back from the dead five times will result in anything except him demanding that Daisy steal it and give it to Audrey. Really? Did you even think that one over, Daisy? Of course, it doesn't work, because for some reason, it can work on a girl who was stung by many bees and is all swollen and filled with bee venom, but it doesn't work on cancer. Convenient?

Which brings me to another quick point. How does Revive even work? How is it possible at all to bring someone back from the dead? There was a lot of potential for some interesting sciency stuff or even philosophical stuff, but instead we got a long discourse about what Audrey's room looks like and how hot Matt is. For Science Fiction, the 'science' element was severely lacking.

One more point on the bad side before we move over to the 'pros' side. The plot in the middle meanders around. So Daisy goes out, get drunks, come back--with, guess who? (hint: ohmigosh he's so hotttt I'm going to dieeee). Um, so? Daisy goes a whole bunch of places, but it doesn't seem to affect the story a whole lot. Maybe the fact that I didn't care about the main character clouded my judgement, I can't know for sure. All I know is that 3/4 of the book was 'ohmigosh, he's so hottt' and 'ohmigosh, my new best friend is dying. That obviously means I have to tell her brother that I came back from the dead. But guess what, he can't use it to save his sister'. The last 1/4 was interesting, if only it had taken up more of the story.

All of this wasn't horrible. There were parts I enjoyed, or actually cared about. Audrey was, by far, the best character in the story. Mason was good too, but he could get pretty unrealistic at times. So, I liked Audrey and her whole subplot. But again, I didn't think her death mattered much in the story. So. Daisy's sad, and she has to be there for Matt. Okay. But how does that stop the villain. I feel like her death was setting up for a whole philosophical side, but at most, that "side" got one page. I found too many problems with this story, and the bad outweighs the good.

Final Score: 4

Waiting on Wednesday: Fragments

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. That is good, otherwise I would need spell check to know how to spell Wednesday :P I hate that word.

What book am I waiting on this week?

Fragments, by Dan Wells

As I mentioned before, when I reviewed Partials, this book wasn't AMAZING, but I really enjoyed it none the less, so I can't wait for the sequel to come out. February 26, 2013. Oh, why?

One gripe: they can't use a different image for the girl then they did for Partials? For real? That seems a bit lazy to me. Click here to see the other cover...with the same girl, down to the blowing hair.

But, Partials, Fragments. I see what you did there (wink)

Quick Update

Hey guys,

There are some exciting things ahead. Firstly, on October 30th, I'm posting an interview with author Irene Helenowski about her self published book, Order of the Dimensions. You don't want to miss this! Later, on December 10th, I'm getting either an interview or a guest post for I Am a Reader, Not a Writer's book tour for A Hard Act to Follow, a non-fiction book about Johnny Carson.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to get some new books to review from the library, and I'll post two new short reviews, most likely tomorrow.

Cheers!
~Starlin

Review: Fair Coin

Title: Fair Coin
Author: E. C. Myers
Rating: 9
Date of Release: March 27, 2012
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for  her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she'd identified Ephraim's body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double's belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin--a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of  his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he's liked since second grade. But the coin doesn't always change things for the better. A bad flip can destroy other people's lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.
The coin could give Ephraim everything he's ever wanted--if he learns to control his power before his luck runs out.

I was intrigued by this story from the synopsis to the cover. I mean, this is a pretty epic cover. But the story was just as good, if not better, then the cover.

The story follows Ephraim as he tries to change his not-so-good present into the life he always dreamed of, with the 'magic' coin. I expected magic, some cheesy moments and an okay story. I wasn't expecting the head ride this book was. Ephraim soon [minor spoilers] realizes that the coin isn't magic at all, in fact it has a root in principles of alternate universes.[end spoilers]. The whole premise was very interesting. For some readers it might be too much theory and not enough clear-cut action, but I really enjoyed that whole aspect of the book.

Ephraim is a sympathetic character. I feel that I would have made the same blunders and done the same things he would have if I had a 'magic' coin. Sure, he didn't have a huge presence in this story, but because the plot was so cool I let that pass. He does his job in the story, but no more. The other characters were also good. Not great, but good. This book might dip into a bit of the classic cliches: the cute geeky girl, the mildly perverted sidekick, and the stupid bully jock, and that was one thing I didn't really like. Then again, there is a difference between archetypes and cliches, and the characters in Fair Coin toe that line.

Altogether, there isn't much I have against this. There were some pacing problems, a few points where I just wanted them to get on with it (especially about 4/5 the way through), but when the plot came back it came back with a vengeance. I will be looking out for Fair Coin's sequel, Quantum Coin, when it comes out in three days (Oct. 23)

Top 10: To Be Released Covers

The graphics sure are bee-yoo-ti-full this year...while perusing goodreads I've drooled over a few. These are the top ten covers of yet-to-be-released books! Huzzah!

#10






Date of Release: October 23, 2012
Why I like it: It's a freaking superhero. A superhero. Standing at the edge of a building. Slanted. Yes please.









#9

Date of Release: March 12, 2013

Why I like it: Besides the cool little bit of pizzaz pulling at her face, the whole cover reeks of awesome, science fiction goodness. Now if I only knew if it was pronounced 'Miya' or 'Milla'.

#8

Date of Release: February 19th, 2013
Why I like it: The overlay on the girl is very cool looking, and if you look closer you realize they're actually photos. I love pretty much everything about this cover, and the summary sounds epic as well. I sense a review around February 20th, 2013!







#7

Date of Release: October, 2013
Why I like it: Simiplistic, but goes with the title so well. Instantly we know. Premeditated murder, gun, female protagonist. The cover says it all.









#6

Date of Release: October 16, 2012. I know this was already released, but it was three days ago and I was drooling over this gem before it was released. So hah.
Why I like it: What the heck is it? No idea! But it's intriguing all the same. So much to look at, I could gaze at this for a while, and the little curlicue around the 'C' brings it all home.






#5

Date of Release: April 16, 2013
Why I like it: The colors are really cool, and the 'k' being lifted above the rest of the words. Just the cover makes me want to read it, a tree, a shiny, sci-fi looking ground, and a guy and a girl.








#4

Date of Release: January 22, 2013
Why I like it: Keys, smoke, a face. Awesomeness. The objects go very well with the title, and the color scheme brings a touch of eerieness to the whole thing.








#3

Date of Release: January 29, 2013
Why I like it: Bright colors, a shimmer, cool font placement. This cover really stood out to me in the lineup. These last three covers were  so close...they're almost tied.









#2

Date of Release: April 23, 2013
Why I like it: While I liked the cover for The Selection more, this one stacks up pretty well. A cool girl in a cover in front of ice blocks or something? Bring it.








#1

Date of Release: November 13, 2012
Why I like it: Why are you looking over here? Look at the cover. Need I say more?










Did I miss the 'best cover EVAH'? Be sure to point it out in the comments!

Review: Ashes, Ashes

Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Terggiari
Rating: 6
Date of Release: 6/1/11
Summary: A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares. Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued by a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her. The Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

I expected a lot from this book. Cool cover, interesting synopsis, nice setup...it had all the necessary components to make it insta-book love. Unfortunately it fell short.

First of all, I didn't really care about the main character, a girl named Lucy who lives survives by herself in what was once New York. I didn't dislike her, but I had no feelings to really care about her. So, sure, her life kind of sucks and she meets a hot boy who saves her from a pack of feral dogs. I didn't really care at all.

The other characters were slightly better. Aidan, the boy who saved her, is cute, but we never really know about him. Why does he like Lucy, aside from the fact that she's the female main character and that kind of thing is written in the literary stars? Where did he come from? Why does another character, Del, like him for? I feel the author was setting up for another story to answer some of these, but I'd have liked a lot less secrets and a few more answers. 

In the same way, we never know how this plague that killed much of the earth's population 'mutated'. The characters use the phrase 'it mutated', but we never know how, are what that entails. The plot had holes, and more than I touched on here for the sake of spoilers. There were too many scenes of Lucy doing work, flirting with two different guys or just thinking about superfluous details--like how to get meat off a turtle--that when you get to the end of the story you realize how little real plot went on between the 342 pages that wasn't some long, detailed treatise on how Lucy's house looked before she moved out.

But, for all its shortcomings, I cannot say I derived no enjoyment in reading Ashes, Ashes. I did. Maybe because, as I stated before, I really love this genre, or the fact that everything was directing me to read this first out of all the new library books I picked up. So while there were many things I didn't like about this novel, they didn't stop me from reading it. If you don't look too hard at the plot holes or annoying main character, some could enjoy this book.

Final Rating: 6